New Delhi:
Amid reports of a possible civil nuclear deal between US and Pakistan, the American embassy in Pakistan has told NDTV that there are no negotiations on for such an agreement. Yet.
A spokesman of the US embassy in Pakistan said: "The US has not entered negotiations on a civil nuclear agreement with Pakistan. The United States is committed to helping Pakistan address its real and growing energy needs, and we look forward to cooperating with Pakistan in ways that are compatible with Pakistan's economic, environmental and security needs and with US international commitments and policies."
Earlier, the words of Anne W. Patterson, US Ambassador to Pakistan, suggested a change of heart on the part of Washington, which has so far kept rebuffing Pakistan's request for a nuclear deal. Patterson said in an interview to a US-based Pakistani newspaper: "We are beginning to have a discussion with the Pakistan Government" on the country's desire to tap nuclear energy.
She said these would be "working level talks" on the issue in Washington this month. "Earlier on, non-proliferation concerns were quite severe. I think we are beginning to pass those and this is a scenario that we are going to explore...," Patterson said.
Reacting cautiously to the possibility of a deal between the US and Pakistan, External Affairs Minister SM Krishna said: "America needs to take a holistic view on the US-Pak nuclear deal...The US should consider Pakistan's track record before any deal."
Government sources said India hoped the international community would strike the right balance between meeting energy needs of any country while taking on board its track record on proliferation of nuclear technology and weapons of mass destruction.
The BJP was quick to criticise reports of a possible US-Pakistan deal, and also accused America of overlooking Pakistan's role in Kashmir. Spokesman Tarun Vijay also said the "N-liability bill is shameful, appeasing the US. It's not acceptable to us." He said the "Prime Minister owes it to the nation that before going to Washington he must clarify the stand and should not do anything against the known position of the Indian state."
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will visit the US next month. Sources have said another stage of the Indo-US civil nuclear deal is through and the public announcement is expected when the PM visits Washington.
India and US have agreed on reprocessing fuel. India can process spent nuclear fuel for reuse in civil nuclear reactors. Reprocessing will be done under international safeguards at a national facility.